Button feeding mechanism



Dec. 19, 1950 A. BELLow Erm- 2,534,753

BUTTON FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 26, 1948 Attorneys Patented Dec. 19,1950 BUTTON FEEDING MECHANISM Abraham Bellow and Arthur Francis Carter,Leeds, England Application January 26, 1948, Serial No. 4,436 In GreatBritain October 8, 1946 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patentexpires October 8, 1966 3 Claims. i

This invention relates to apparatus for use in connection with machinesfor sewing on bu tons, such machines as are used in the clothing andallied trades for sewing buttons on to earments and the like.

The present practice is to first thread a plurality of buttons on torigid wire holders from which they are passed by means of an arm totheir correct position beneath the needle of the sewing machine and uponthe garment placed therein. With such arrangements it has been founddifficult to maintain a constant feed from the wire holders, owing totheir liability to bending or distortion with the result that thebuttons tend to foul on the wires.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new or improvedconstruction of apparatus for feeding the buttons from a bulk source,such as a hopper or the like, to the sewing machine whereby the use ofwire holders is elim' inated.

According to the invention the apparatus cornprises a chute along whichthe buttons are passed from a hopper or the like on to a carrier whichis adapted to transfer them one at a time to the material beneath thesewing machine needle. The buttons will be controlled during theirpassage from the chute on to the carrier by means of a spiked rolleradapted to be rotated at a controlled speed and whilst they are on saidspiked roller, the buttons will be correctly positioned so that they areplaced on the carrier to arrive beneath the sewing machine needle withtheir holes correctly aligned.

The spiked roller will be adapted to align the buttons and meansassociated with said roller will be provided to hold the buttons on theroller and permit the buttons to fall in succession upon the carrierwhich transfers each button to the sewing machine.

The buttons will travel in single file along the chute from the hopperand will be placed upon or transferred to the spiked roller facedownwards, the rotation of the roller turning the buttons over so thatthey arrive on the carrier face upwards in correct position for sewingwhen the carrier transfers them to the sewing machine.

The spiked roller and the carrier will be driven from a suitably placedelectric motor adapted to drive them through gearing which ensurescorrect timing and sequence of operation. The spiked roller may bedriven intermittently through any suitable mechanism, such as a Genevamotion or its equivalent. Suitable controlling means will be provided,and the feeding mechanism will be provided with emergency stops for usein the event of stoppage or delay arising in connection with theoperation of the sewing machine.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, the same will now be more fully described withreference to and by the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a part sectional side elevation of apparatus constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the chute and roller shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing the mounting of the spikedroller.

Figure 4 is a front view of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a hopper I to containthe buttons which are to be passed to a sewing machine (not shown) forsewing to garments or the like. An inclined chute 2 leads from thehopper 1 along which chute the buttons 3 pass face downwards.

From the lower end of the chute 2 the buttons 3 are taken up one at atime on a transfer roller 5 having a number of radial spikes 5,centrally positioned on the periphery of the roller and equally spacedaround it in such manner that a spike 5 passes through one of the holesin the button 3. The transfer roller 5 is rotated in the direction oftravel of the buttons along the chute 2, and as the spike 5 which hasjust taken up a button commences to approach a horizontal position,gravity causes the button to pivot on the spike 5 until the button 3 ispositioned with a pair of holes in axial alignment with the chute 2.When it is so positioned the further rotation of the roller 4 causes thebutton 3 to engage a spring guard 6 which partly surrounds the roller 4and holds the button to retain it in correct position and prevent itfrom falling off the spike 5 until required to do so. The roller 4 byfurther rotation carries the button round until it is face sideuppermost, and at this point, i. e. with the spike 5 pointing verticallydownwards, the guard 6 is caused to release the button by the push rod 1engaging the end of the guard 6 and causing it to release the buttonwhich falls on to the carrier it On the end of a pivotal or swinging arm8 adapted to transport the button to the sewing machine (not shown). Theguard B is in the form of a cover plate of springy or resilient naturepartially surrounding the roller 4, and the guard G terminates at thepoint Where the button is released to fall chute 2.

on the carrier and is slotted at 9 for the passage of the spikes 5 ofthe roller 4. The mechanism for transporting the buttons to the sewingmachine comprises an arm 8 provided with a plate In carrying fixed pinsH, the latter being positioned on the plate 10 tocorrespond exactlywith' the spacing of the holes in the buttons being used, and one ofsaid pins l I will align with the spikes 5 on the roller 4 when eachspike is pointing vertically downwards and a button is leaving theroller to be taken by the carrier to the sewing machine.

The apparatus will be driven by suitable well known mechanism, such asan, electric motor (not shown) and intermediate shafts and gearing,diagrammatically indicated as a vertical shaft I2, gearing [3, aneccentric I4, connecting rod I5 and intermittent motion mechanism 16,which latter rotates the roller 4. The shaft lZwillalso actuate the pushrod 1 and operate the hopper which. feeds the buttons face downwardstothe Instead of having a single hopper, a series of hoppers may beprovided having chutes leading to a controlling and: distributingmechanism for dealin with buttons of different colours 3 or sizesbeforepassing themto thenpositioning and transferring 'mechanism.

Means (not shown) =may' be'provided in the chute for stopping the flow:of buttons from the main hopper, in orderthat alternate or difierentbuttons may be. admitted to the chute from side chutes which enter themain chuteuadjacent the stopping means, which is preferably placedtoward the lower delivery end'of the main chute.

We claim:

1. In combination'with a; machine'forsecuring buttons on garments; ahopper, a downwardly inclined chute leading from the hopper, anautomatic button positioning transfer mechanism associated with themachine and including a rotary roller at the delivery end of the chute,said roller having circuniferentially spaced radial spikes arranged tobe sequentially moved past the delivery end of thezchute to engageanopening ina button as the latter discharges from thedelivery end. of thechute, resilient means engaging each roller having 'circumferentiallyspaced centrally disposed radial spikes arranged to be sequentiallymoved past the delivery end of the chute to engage an opening in abutton as the latter discharges from the delivery end of the chute, aresilient retaining plate partly surrounding the roller and having aslot for receiving the spikes during. a predetermined rotary movement ofthe roller, said plate engaging each button on the roller until thebutton moves downwardly to a position where the spike engaging thebuttonis .in a substantially vertical position, operable means whenthe'said spike'reaches the downwardly vertical positionforireleasing-theg plate from engagement with the button so as todischarge the same from the roller, and means positioned below theroller for receiving each button as it is discharged from the roller.

3. In combination with a machine for securing buttons on garments ascalled i'orin claim- 2.211

"which means are provided for intermittently rotating the roller and foractuating said operable means.

ABRAHAM BELLOW. ARTHUR FRANCIS CARTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of. record in the fileofthis patent:

UNITED STATES. PATENTS Number Name Date 403,611 Richards -May 21,18891,052,092 Robertson 'Feb.: i, 1913 1,134,078 Kotkovsky --Mar. 30,- 19152,271,028 Olson Jan;.27,i1-942

